The tussle over seniority among six IAS officers of the 1990 batch in Haryana has reached a critical juncture, with the decision now resting in the hands of caretaker Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini or the incoming Chief Minister, who will assume office after the October 8 election results. The outcome of this decision could have significant ramifications, especially for the selection of Haryana’s next Chief Secretary.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had earlier directed Haryana’s Chief Secretary, TVSN Prasad, to settle the matter of inter-se seniority among the 1990-batch IAS officers in accordance with Rule 6 of the IAS (Regulation of Seniority) Rules, 1987. This rule governs how seniority is fixed for officers transferred to a different cadre. However, with Prasad set to retire on October 31, the clock is ticking on the decision, as it could directly impact who will succeed him as the next Chief Secretary. The frontrunners for this coveted position are likely to come from the 1990 IAS batch, making the decision even more consequential.
Adding to the stakes, the prestigious post of Financial Commissioner Revenue (FCR) in Haryana remains vacant, a role traditionally given to the senior-most IAS officer after the Chief Secretary.
The controversy erupted when three IAS officers from the 1990 batch—Ankur Gupta, Anurag Rastogi, and Raja Sekhar Vundru—challenged the current gradation list. They are contesting their positions, bringing into question the existing seniority structure. In response, on August 21, Under Secretary of DoPT, Kavita Chauhan, reminded the state government that the gradation list must be prepared annually, following Rules 5 and 6 of the IAS (Regulation of Seniority) Rules, 1987.
To further complicate matters, on October 1, the Chief Secretary’s office reached out to the DoPT for clarity on an old legal ruling from the CAT Chandigarh bench regarding the cadre allotment and seniority of IAS Sudhir Rajpal. They also sought documents related to whether IAS Sumita Misra had been initially assigned to another cadre before joining the Haryana cadre.
The ball is now in the court of CM Nayab Saini, who has been briefed on the issue. Whether he makes a decision before the election results or leaves it to the new CM is yet to be seen. Either way, the resolution of this seniority dispute will have far-reaching implications for the state’s administrative landscape, setting the stage for who will lead Haryana’s bureaucracy in the near future.
